hennessy



D. E. HENNESSY.

TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4. 1915.

Patented July 29, 1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

D. E. HENNESSY.

` TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4. |915. 1,31 1 ,1 65. Patented July 29, 1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l s' ngen ma Ma/(essai D. E. HENNESSY.

TRUCK.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. 4. i915.

/ enfer 45 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N WR 5% l Patented July 29, 1919.

n. E. HENmssY.A

TRUCK.

APPLICATIQN FILED ocT. 4. 1915.

la'lented July 29, 1919.

5 SHEETSSHEET 4.

D. E. HENNESSY.

` TRUCK. APPLICATIN FILED OCT. 4. |915.

Pnwnd July 29, 19l9` 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

..74 a ew/a/ Trucks, of which the DANIEL E. HENNESSY, 0F HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HERBERT W.

CoWAN, J..I.Ew1s wYcKoFF, AND E l DWAIRD N. WHITE, TRUSTEES, DOING BUSINESS AS COWAN TRUCK COMPANY.

TRUCK Specification of Letters Patent. l I' Patented July 29, 11919.

J Appucation sled october 4,1915. serial Nofsase'f To all 'whom it mag/concern:

, Be it known thatI I, DANIEL E. HENNEss-Y, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in following isa clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to machines for lifting and transporting goods, anld is herein shown as embodied in a machine which is especially intended for -use in transportin'g goods to and from and forming them into or removing them from tiers, :as in waregoods as compactly as possi'ble. It will be understood, however, that the invention irs not restricted to the illustrated embodiment or to A the illustrated use, but that it is of general applicability in the art to which i-t relates.

. An object of the invention is to provide a machine which will do away with substantially all arduous manual labor in handling goods, which are, or are lto be, piled in tiers.

The-invention aims also |to provide an improved system of handling goods which will' not 'only facilitate their handling but will also reduce to =a minimum the labor involved and the cost, fas well as the wear and tear on the goods.

vA further object of the invention is to provide van elevating truck in which the elevating mechanism may of any strains incident the load over rough places.

An imp tant feature of the invention is the provision of load lifting and depositing arms coperating with removable platforms which remain in land form a thenovel construction of the removable platform constituting a further important feature of the invention. f

Other objects and important features of the invention will appear from the followpart of the tier,

ing |description and claims when considered Y.

1n connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combined truck and tiening machine., embodying the,

`present invention;

Ffig.'2 is a sectional detall on the llneV be relieved entirely to ther-movement of lFig. 3 is a section-al detail on the line -rangement of the steering shaft with respect to the driving mechanism;

Fig. 7 is an elevation looking from the rear;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail showing the arrangement of the screws by which the elevation of the load is effected;

Fig. 9 is a, sectional detail of the vertical guides, on the line 9-9, Fi 7 Figs. 10 and 11 show two adjacent tiers with the truck in position to operate on one of the tiers; I

Fig. 12 is a rear elevation illustrating the operation ofthe truck when placing goods on top of a partly formed tier;

y Fig. 13 is a side elevation illustrating substantially the same operation as that shown in Fig. 1Q;

Fig. 14 is a sectional detail illustrating theV relative positions of the 4load-lifting arms, the removable platform, and the loadcarrying frame of the truck.

The machine herein shown and which efmbodies the invention in-a preferred form, is intended to be used n connection with skids and removable platforms, the platforms being left in the tier yof goods formed by the aidof 'a machine, and in order that the mae chine may be moved into such relation to the tier that it may deposit the removable platform with its load 'of vgoods upon the tier, whereby it bringsA` another part into position over the tier.

As hereinabove suggested, the machine comprises av truck and an elevating mecha- A nism, the illustrated truck comprising a horizontal loadsupporting frame 2, of generally U-shapedform, having supporting v low the tops of the skids 14 with .which the truck is intended to be used, whereby this [pa-rt of the truck may pass between these skids when one of the removable platforms 16 or any other body is resting upon said skids. This part of the truck is alsorelatively narrow with respect to the other parts =of the truck to facilitate its passa-ge between these skids.

The elevating mechanism or tiering mechanism comprises arms 18 attached to vertically movable guides 20, connected to a cross-piece 22, through which the power ,tively close together.

of the Ielevating mechanism is transmitted to said guides and arms. The arms 18 (see Figs. 8 and 14) comprise relatively deep or wide vertical webs 24 and inwardly projecting flanges 26, formed, as shown, of angle irons, attached to the inner faces of the webs 24 so that the flanges 26 will be flush with the upper edges of said webs, said webs 24 being relatively thin so that they can pass between tiers which are compara- The arms 18 are free at their rear or outer ends, and to stiffen them against lateral movement, triangular webs or gusset pieces 28 are connected to the arms and to brackets upon the guide members 20, which brackets may consist of pieces of angle iron extending at right angles to the angle irons which form the flanges 26.

The arms 18 are adapted to coperate with a removable platform 16 like that hereinabove referred to, which platform is shown rabbeted at its lateral edges, and is of such width that the rabbeted portions thereof will rest upon the flanges 26 of the .arms 18, the platform being preferably slightly narrower than the space between the webs 24. The parts of the platform 16 which engage the flanges 26 are preferably protected and reinforced by angles 30 which cover the undersurface of the rabbet andthe edge of the platform. The rabbet is preferably deeper than the thickness of the flange 26, whereby vertical movement of the arms 18 to bring the flanges out of engage ment with the platform 16 may take place even when said flanges 26 project over some object upon which the platform rests.

The illustrated elevating mechanism comprises a series of telescoping threaded cylinconnected to the cross-piece 22and having a few internal threads 34 at its lower end which engage the external threads of the second cylinder 36, which likewise is internally threaded at its lower end 38 to cooperate with the external threads of the third cylinder 40 which has internal threads at 42 -coperating with the threads` of a screw 44 connected to turn with a bevel pinion 46 having its bearing upon a stationary cross-piece 48 between two vertical stationary guides 50 rigid with the truck frame.

Meshing with the bevel pinion 46 is a second bevel pinion 52 driven from an electric motor 54, mounted in the frame 8 below a platform 56, upon which the operator of the truck stands. The guides 20 to which the arms 18 are attached, are preferably of such height that when in their lowerrnost position, the truck may be run through any door through which it is usual to go 1n transferringfgoods of the kind with which the truck is intended to be used, such, for example, as the door of an ordinary freight car, and in order that the arms 18 may be elevated to a sufficient height to deposit their load upon the top of the storage tier, intermediate telescoping guides 5.8, 60 and 62 are provided between the inner stationary guide 64 and the outer movable guide 20, there being preferably the same number of telescoping guides as there are telescoping screws. To insure the movement of one or more of the intermediate guides before the outer guide 2O has reached the point where it would not be properly supported against lateral strain, the guides may be interconnected in any suitable manner, as for example, by pin-andslot `connections 66 and 68, the slots 68 being long enough to allow considerable relative movement of the guides but preventing relative movement beyond a point where sufficient bearing surface would not be provided to sustain the telescopic support in substantiallyl vertical position against the tendency of the load carried upon the arms 18 to bend it tolone side. The guides 20, 58, 60 and 62 may be formed in any suitable manner as for example dimensions, but as herein shown, they are formed of angle iron strips connected by cross-pieces 70.

From an inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be noted that the arms 18 may be lowered to bring their load-carrying surfrom channel 'iron of the proper the other end, for convenience the load part of thetruck will be called 'the rear end of the truck and the part of the truck comprising the frame 8 will be called the forward end of the truck.

In order to bracel the elevatin mechanism against the lateral strains incident to the lifting of the load upon the projecting arms 18, the frame 8 comprises oblique braces 72 connected to the vertical frame member 74, and the load lifted by the arms 18 is counter-balanced by the weight of the motors 12 and 54 mounted in the frame 8 and by the weight of the storage batteries 76 also carried by the frame 8 1n front of the vertical frame member 74.

In order that thetruck may be steered as well as power-driven, the driving wheels 10 v are preferably 'mounted on steering knuckles 78, a shortshaft 80 for each wheel- 10 being connected a universal joint ,82 to one-half` 84 of a drivmg shaft, which is connected to the other half of said driving shaft by any suitable differential gearing driven from the motor 12 through a pinion 86 connected `to one end of a sleeve/88, mounted'in a bearing 90, the other end of said sleeve carr ing the pmlon 92 connectedto the diferentlal gearing. The steering knuckles 78 have arms 94 connected by links 96 to an arm 98 upon the lower'end of 'a steering shaft 100 which is connected by gears 102 to another shaft 104 1n a steerlng post 106, mounted'upon' the platform 56, said shaft 104 being driven by bevel gearing in the 'head 108 of said steering post from a star Wheel 110. It.will be noted that the driving and steering wheels wheels 4, see Fig. 4. This is the preferred construction when the truck is to be used in working" along the front of a row of pilesor 4 tiers in which the skids are arranged transv ersely'to the row. If, however, it is desired to worklengthwise of relatively long skids fixed to the floor, it is preferable that the steering and guiding wheels 10 'be located so that they may pass between the skids, although of course they might be arranged to pass outside of the skids if this would not interfere with placing adjacent rows of piles in the desired proximity.

' The motor 12 which drives the truck may 'be controlled in any suitable manner, as for example from a switch box 112 having a switch operating handle 114, and the motor 54 which operates the elevating mechanism,

not already vpiled upon platforms of the type ofthe platform 16 herein shown, one of these platforms will preferably be placed 'upon a ypair of skids 14 of the proper height and so beneath the rabbeted edges of the platform 16. The elevating mechanism is then actuated and the arms raised until the flanges 26 engage the platform 16 and lift the platform from the skids 14. The truck is then backed out from between the skids 14, and if it is' to be run over a rough surface, the arms 18 are preferably lowered until the platform 16 is depositedupon the load-carrying frame 2 of the truck, thus relieving the elevating echanism of the strain of the load while .the load is being transported from one place to another.

The load of goods isnow carried to the place Where the goods are to be stored or piled, at which place skids similar in their transverse dimensions toithose used in loading will be located. If the load of goods is the irst to be deposited upon these skids, the elevating mechanism will be operated suiiiciently to cause the arms to lift the platform 16 high enough so thatit will pass over the upper edges of these skids as the truck is run between them. The arms will then again be lowered, as shown in Fig. 1, to deposit the platform 16 upon the skids when the truck can be withdrawn, leaving the platform 16 with its load of goods uponl the skids 14.

The truck is now again loaded in the manner above described and again brought to the place where the tier is being formed. In order to place the next load in position, the elevating mechanism must be operated suficiently to cause the arms 8 to lift the platform 16 above the upper surface of the pile of goods 120 whichconstituted the first load,

when the truck can be run between the skids` 14 again, thus bringing the platform 16 over the top of the goods 120, with the webs 24 of the arms 18 embracing the pile of goods or tier 120, and the flanges 26 projecting over the upper surface.' Y The elevating mechanism is now actuated to lower the arms 18, thus depositing the platform 16 on the pile 120, the lowering operation being continued until the flanges 26 are moved out of engagement with the under faces of the rabbets in the platform 16, suicient space being provided between these faces and the upper surface of the pile 120 for this purpose. The truck can now again be withdrawn and run to receive another load which can be elevated port connected at one end to said elevating mechanism and comprising load-carrying arms arranged to carry their load above the truck body and having their load-supporting parts lying outside the sides of said body and unconnected above said body, whereby said arms may embrace and deposit their load upon a tier between the planes of the sides o-f which said truck body can'enter.

2, In a combined truck and tiering niachine, a. truck body, elevating mechanism mounted on said body, andan elevating support connected at one end to said elevating mechanism and comprising loadcarrying arms arranged to carry their load above the truck body and having their loadsupportingparts lying outside the sides of said body and unconnected above said body, whereby said arms may embrace and deposit their load upon a tier between the planes of the sidesof which said truck body can Yenter, said arms having load-supporting portions inwardly directed and arranged to project over said tier.

3. In a machine of the class described, a truck baise and elevating means mounted upon said base, said means comprising a removable platform and platform supporting arms lying outside opposite sides of said truck lbase and movable into platform-de- ,r

positing relation to' said base.

4. In a machine of the class described, a truck base v and elevating means mounted upon said base, said means comprising a removable platform and` platform supporting arms connected at one end only, lying outside v opposite sides of said truck base and movable vto into platform-depositing relation to said base.

5. In a machine of the class described, a

' truck having a body and supporting wheels,

elevating mechanism mounted on said truck body, and an elevating support comprising a pair of arms connected to said mechanism at one end and arranged to embrace said truck body when in lowered position.

6. In a combined truck and. tiering machine, a truck, and elevating means mounted on said truck, comprising a removable platform and platform-supporting arms connected at one end only and spaced to engage sald platform beneath its lateral edges and'to embrace said truck when in lowered position.

7. In a combined truck and tiering maf chine, a truck, and elevating means mounted upon said truck, comprising a removable platform having lateral rabbets and platform-supporting arms arranged to engage said platform in said rabbets and to embrace said truck when in lowered position.

8. In a machine of the class described, a truc-k base and elevating means mounted upon said base, said means comprising a removable platform having lateral rabbets and platform-supporting arms connected at one end only and having inwardly projecting rabbetengaging flanges of a thickness less than the depth of said rabbets, said arms lying outside opposite sides of sa/id truck base. f

9. In a machine of the class described, a truck, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, an elevating support connected to said mechanism, comprising a pair of parallel arms having vertical webs and horizontal when in lowered position and arranged to beV lowered to bring their load supporting surfaces into the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame, and a removable platform coperating with said arms and having locating shoulders arranged to prevent movement of said platform transversely to said arms but permitting movement thereof lengthwise of said arms.v

11. In a machine of the class described, a truck, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, an elevating support connected to said mechanism and comprising parallel spaced arms connected only at one end and having.

downwardly projecting vertical stiffenino portions and inwardly-directed, horizonta load-supporting portions, whereby said stiffening portions may embrace a tier of goods over which said horizontal portions project.

12. A machine of the class described comprising, in combination, a truck havin a load supporting frame, and lifting mec anism mounted on said truck and comprising arms having deep vertical webs and inwardly projecting horizontal anges, said arms being arranged to be lowered into embracing relation to said frame and to bring theirvflanges into the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame, and a removable platform having its edges rabbeted to receive the flanges of said arms.

mg arms connected to the space between their load engaging parts its load supporting surface into the planeof.

ing, in combination, a truck and load lifting means mounted on said truck, said means comprising a jack and spaced load supportsaid jack and having wholly unobstructed, said truck having a load supporting frame opposed to the free space between sai-d arms, and said frame and said arms being relatively movable into and out .of load transferring relation to each other.

14. A machine of -the class described having, in combination, a truck, load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising a jack andspaced load supporting arms connected to saidfjack and havingthe space between their load engaging parts wholly unobstructed, and a removable platform'carried by said arms, supporting frame opposed to the free space tween said arms, and said frame and said arms being relative y movable into and out of platform transferring relation to each other.

15. A machine of the class described comprising, in combination, a truck. having la load supporting frame, load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising arms arranged to be lowered into embracing relation to said frame and Ito bring their supporting surfaces into the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame, and a removable platform carried by said arms and lhaving' a portion thereof projecting below the load supporting surface of said arms, whereby said platform is deposited upon said frame when said arms are moved to bring their 'supporting surfaces into the plane of the supporting' surface of said rame.

16. A machine of the class described corn-I prising, in combination, a truckhaving a load supporting frame, 1oad lifting mea'ns mounted on said truck and comprising a sup-port arranged to be lowered to bring surface of said frame, and a removable p atform carried by said support and having a portion projecting below the load supporting surface of said support and located above the load supporting surface of said frame.

17. In a combined truck and tiering machine, a truck body, elevating mechanism mounted on said body, an .elevating support connected at one end to said elevatlng mechanism and comprising load-carrying arms arranged 'to carry their load above the truck bodyand spacedto provide a clear space above said body overlapping the sides thereof, whereby said arms may embrace a tier the load supporting between the planes of the sides of which said form carried 'by form, and said connected at one end to said truck having ay load for use the aforementioned end said arms, said arms having inwardly directed flanges of a thickness less than the thickness of the removable platplatform having flange engagmg faces so'located as to allow vertical movement of said arms to disengage them from the platform when said platform has been deposited upon the tier.

18. In a combined truck and tiering machine, a truck body; elevating mechanism mounted onsaid body, an elevating support said elevating mechanism and comprising load-carrying arms arranged to carry their load above the truck "body and spaced to provide a clear space above said body overlapping the usides thereof, whereby said arms may embrace a tier between-the planes of the sides of which said truck body can enter, and a removable platform carried by said arms, said removable platform having arm and tier 'engagingsurfaoes at diii'erent levels and the thickness of the platform-engaging parts of said arms being less than the vertical distance between said levels.

19. In a combined-truck and tiering machine, ak truck having a load sup-porting part, elevating mechanism mounted upon said truck, an elevating support connected to said elevating mechanismand comprislng a pair of arms projecting laterally and independently therefrom, and a removable platform, sald arms having vertical webs spaced apart a greater distance than the width of said wardly extending platform supporting portions, the load supporting partof said truck lying beneath the free space between said arms and said arms being movable into vplatform depositing relation to said load supporting portion.

A combined truckA and tiering machine in forming a tier`of goods in connection with a pair of skids upon which said tier is supported and with removable platforms left in the tier, comprising, in combination, a truck adapted to pass between said skids and beneath said tier, elevatingmechaT nism mounted on said truck at a point remote from one end thereof, an eleva-ting support connected at one end to said elevating mechanism and projecting substantially horizontally therefrom in the direction of of the truck, a removable platform carried by said support,

said platform having upon its under side`A between said skids.

platform and having na tier supv E21. A combined truck and tiering machine for use in forming a tier of goods inl connection with a pair ofskids upon which said tier is supported and with remfovablel platforms left in the tier, comprising, in combination, a truck adapted to pass between said skids and beneath said tier, elevating mechl anism mounted on said truck at a point remote from one end thereof, said truck from said end to said elevating mechanism being of less height than said skids, platform supporting arms connected at one end to said elevating mechanism and projecting substantially horizontally therefrom in the direction of the aforementioned end of the truck, a removable platform carried between said arms, said platform having tier and arm engaging surfaces at different levels and said arms having their platform engaging parts of less thickness than the vertical distance between said levels and being movable by said mechanism into platform-depositing relation either to said skids or to a tier supported upon said skids when said truck is between said skids.

22. In combination, a truck having a load supporting frame, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, and an elevating support comprising platform supporting arms and a removable platform, said arms being connected at one end to said mechanism and arranged to support the platform over said load supporting frame, and said platform and said frame having opposed parts between said arms arranged to cooperate to supportthe load when said arms are moved into their lowered position.

23. In combination, a truck having a load supporting frame, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, and an elevating support comprising platform supporting arms and a removable platform, said arms being connected at one end to said mechanism and being arrangedl to engage said platform bieneath` its edges only and to support said platform over said load supporting frame, Opposed parts .of said platform and said frame between said arms being arranged to coperate to support the load when said arms are moved into their lowered position.

24. In a machine of the class described, a truck, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, parallel supporting arms connected at one end to said mechanism and having inwardly directed flanges," and a removable platform supported wholly by said flanges and within the sides of said arms the space between the platform supporting' flanges being entirely unobstructed and said arms being arranged to support said platform over said truck.

25. ln a machine of the class described, a truck, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, an elevating support connected to said body having a substantially horizontal upper surface, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, an elevating support connected to said mechanism and comprising a pair of arms spaced apart a distance greater than the width of said truck body and so connected to said mechanism that they may be lowered to bring their upper edges into the plane of the upper surface of said truck.

27. ln a combined truck and tiering machine, a wheeled base, elevating mechanism mounted on said base and comprising para-llel spaced horizontal arms supported and connected at one end only, said arms, having inwardly projecting load supporting flanges, a removable platform adapted to be carried by said flanges between said arms, said platform having ange and tier engaging surfaces at different levels vertically spaced a distance greater than the thickness of said flanges.

28. A machine offthe class described comprising, in combination, a truck having a load supporting frame, and load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising a pair of arms arranged to be lowered into embracing relation to the load carrying frame and to bring their load supporting surfaces int'o the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame.

29. A machine of' the class described comprising, in combination, a truck having a load ed on'said truck and comprising a pair of arms arranged to be lowered to bring their load supporting surfaces into the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame and so spaced that they embrace said frame and are also separated from the sides thereof to permit the entrance between .said arms and said frame of load ysupporting skids.

30. A machine of' the class described comprising in combination, a truck having a load supporting frame, load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising `a -pair of arms arranged to be lowered into embracing relation to said frame andto bring their load supporting surfaces into the plane of the load supporting surface of said frame, and a removable platform constructed and arranged to be engaged at its edges by said arms.

I 31. In a machine of the class described, a

, truck body having a substantially horizontal upper' surface, elevating'mechanism mounted on sa1d truck body,ani`elevating support connected to said mechanism and comprising arms extending parallel to each other Y 1ov and to said upper surface of said truck body, saidv arms being spaced apart sulficiently to embrace said truck body whenl brought into their lowermost position, each arm being also so spaced laterally from theV adjacent edge of said truck bodyywhen in its lowermost position, as to permit the introduction of load supporting skids between saidarms and said truck body.

32. A machine of the class described having, in combination a wheeled base, vertically operating elevating means mounted upon said-base and comprising parallel hori-v zontal arms having inwardly projecting load supporting flanges lying outside opposite sides of said base, a removable platform carried bysaid flanges between said arms,

said basel and said arms being relatively movable, bythe operation of said mechanism'to brin said armsv into platform' depositing relatlon to said base.

38. In a machine of the class described, a

truck, elevating mechanism mounted upon said truck, and an elevating support" connected to said mechanismand comprising a pair of arms arranged to embrace the truck when in lowered position, said arms having vertical stiflening webs and inwardly projecting load-supportlng flanges.

34. In a machine of the class described, a truck, means for driving said truck, elevating mechanism mounted on said truck, an elevating support connected at one end to said elevating mechanism, ower-operated means for effecting the elevatlon of said support through said-mechanism, said poweroperated means and said mechanism being located near one end of said truck and said s upport straddling and being arranged to carry its load 4above the other end of said truck.

35. In a machine of the class described, a truck having a body and supporting and driving wheels, power-operated means for driving said truck; elevating l mechanism mounted upon said truck, an elevating support connected at one 4end to said mechanism, said 'power-operated means, said mechanism and said 'driving wheels being located near one end of the truck and said .support straddling and being arranged to carry its load above the otherLend of said truck. Y

36. A machine of the class Y described comprising, `in combination,- a truck havin a load vsupporting frame, and load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising arms arranged to embrace said frame when in lowered. position and vertical telescoping guides, each arm being connected at one end to one'of said guides. v

37. A machine of the class described comprising, `in combination, a truck, load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprising la vertically arranged jack, vertical guides upon opposlte sides of said jack, load supporting arms spaced to embrace said truck when vin lowered position, and arm l 75 carrying members connected tol said jack and guided by said vertical guides.

38., A machine of the class described comprising, in combination, a truck having a load supporting frame andl supporting and driving wheels, load lifting means mounted on said truck and comprislng a pair of arms j arranged to be lowered into embracing relation to the 'load carrying frame and to bring theirload supporting surfaces into the -plane of the load supporting surface of said frame, said driving wheels being upon the sideof said lifting means remote from-said arms, and power actuated means, also located upon the side of said lifting means remote from said arms, for driving said wheels and for operating said lifting 

